What is our approach to History?

Westrop Primary and Nursery School's History learning journey adopts a cross-curricular approach towards teaching and learning. Underlying this approach is the belief that all children should work together to become better historians who are able to question and interpret events of the past effectively. Westrop endeavour to achieve this with a practical, enquiry-based approach to History, exploring artefacts, and sources to discover the answers to historical questions.

	In History, children are provided with bespoke knowledge organisers. These give all children a solid foundation of the era they will be studying. Children and teachers refer to these knowledge organisers throughout the topic. Children’s confidence is developed further by using a practical enquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. We provide the pupils with opportunities to explore first-hand artefacts and sources to discover the answers to historical questions.
	Children's wellbeing is supported by providing a historic understanding of society and real-life accounts: This provides children with an understanding of how to deal with situations in their own lives (such as) when two versions of the same event or two incompatible interpretations of a famous person occur.  We at Westrop achieve this by looking at different interpretations of historic events and evaluating the reliability of sources
	History provides many levels of challenge for the children at Westrop. Children are provided artefacts and sources and are then presented with a ‘history mystery’. Children are challenged to solve the mystery, find out about it through research or class discussions, or make a presentation. History is discovered at Westrop not just merely passed on.
	The History curriculum at Westrop was built with the locality at its heart. At each phase, children are taken out into the immediate locality to discover some historic treasure our town has to offer. This then builds into our wider local areas such as Cirencester and Wiltshire. Before we branch out further into the history of our global neighbours.
	History dictates communication, the etymology of the name his-story demands it. Therefore, history at Westrop is underpinned by vocabulary, discussions, stories, sources, books, and research. Children are provided with opportunities to present work in ways they choose and given the time to share their work with their peers, parents and other adults in school

How is the History Curriculum delivered? (Implementation)

• History is taught from EYFS to Year 6 and is a foundation subject. It is taught for approximately one afternoon every week. 
• The History curriculum is delivered in small steps within a topic unit where knowledge and skills are continuously revisited and built upon as children progress through school.
• There is coverage of both knowledge and skills in chronology, range and depth of history, interpretations of history and historical enquiry.
• Planning is developed by class teachers from the two-year cycle long term plan. Where relevant historical topics are laid out. Topics are taught across two terms and have strong links with English and Art. There is a clear progression of skills that each teacher follows. Planning is also supported by the development of topic boxes (within school), loans from the Corinium Museum, and documents from the Historical Association.
• All History lessons have the opportunity for children to be challenged through historic enquiry. TA and Teachers support can further develop the children’s thinking and learning. Children are provided with opportunities to lead their learning in mini projects and autonomy as to how to present a piece of work.
• Where possible, cross-curricular links are made with English, Art, D.T, Maths and Geography, for instance, the use of historical maps of the locality and what evidence can be observed in a painting.
• First-hand experiences are crucial to the History lesson with the emphasis on learning through asking relevant questions.
• Work is recorded from Years 1-6 in Topic books and EYFS through Tapestry. A variety of work will be evident: short explanations, photos, labelled diagrams, drama, freeze frames, videos, mini-projects, posters, and fact files are to name but a few. 
• Children are taught a wide range of skills including: asking questions, making observations and taking measurements; engaging in some practical enquiry; recording and presenting evidence they have found; answering questions and developing opinions and raising further questions.
• Through the course of the year, children are introduced to a range of significant historical figures. These historic figures are from a variety of different ethnicities and genders.
• History, as in all subjects, starts in our wonderful EYFS and is explored through the theme of ‘Understanding the World’. In Nursery children begin to make sense of their own life-story and family’s history. In reception this theme is continued where children are able to comment on images of familiar situations in the past and present and compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past. Children move into KS1 having met their early learning goals  in ‘Understanding the World Past and Present’. They come into school able to talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society, knowing some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. They have an understanding of the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling
• History pulls Westrop together as a school where we will all work on a theme collaboratively such as Black History Month, Remembrance day or other prominent historic anniversaries.   

What difference is the History Curriculum making? (Impact)

• Underlying our approach to history is the belief that children should understand that the past has many different facets. Each era is different from the next, as well as our own. 
• History builds children's understanding of society and provides real-life accounts of how to deal with situations in their own lives (such as) when two versions of the same event or two incompatible interpretations of a famous person occur. 

• We believe that pupils leave Westrop equipped to understand and explain why not all television, newspapers, or social media report events in the same way. This is achieved by adopting a practical, enquiry-based approach to the teaching of history.  We provide the pupils with opportunities to explore artefacts and question sources to discover the answers to their own historical questions. 

• From their different starting points, all children will make at least good progress and achieve their potential academically, emotionally, creatively, and socially. Knowledge, understanding and skills will be secured and embedded so that children can progress. 

• Pupils will have good communication skills and will listen respectfully and with tolerance to the views of others using evidence to support or refute ideas or arguments. 

• Pupils will take pride in all that they do, always striving to do their best. 

• Pupils will be able to explore their own investigations, respectfully sharing their own thoughts and opinions whilst understanding that they may differ from others. 

• Pupils will demonstrate emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge. 

• Pupils will develop a sense of self-awareness and become confident in their own abilities. 

• Teachers plan to ensure that children are accessing work at age related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged through higher-level questioning.
• Pupils will competently use and know the meaning of agreed vocabulary correctly when talking and writing about historic events. 

• Children are assessed according to age related expectations in line with curriculum requirements. This is done in line with the school assessment calendar three times a year. This information is monitored by the coordinator.

How to Help Your Child at Home

All children, families and the places we live have a history so developing key skills is not as daunting as you may think. Talking about past events is key to the development of history in young children. We are extremely lucky to live in such a historical town; we have such a rich and varied history dating right back to the Anglo Saxons. Our small museum (in the old bank building) is part of our local historical society and their website is full of interesting facts and photographs. As part of our wider and neighbouring counties we are so lucky to have access to historical places of interest, many of which coincide with our history curriculum - Stonehenge, Avebury, Cirencester’s Corinium museum and amphitheatre and WWII bunker, Cheltenham’s Sudeley castle and the Steam museum to name but a few. School subscriptions to Purple Mash also have a vast array of useful tools linked to topics that will aid your child in their learning at home.

Useful websites links

Make a coronavirus time capsule 

Museums From Around The World –Virtual Online Tours

British Museum- Free Videos

How To Explore London’s Top Museums From Home

BBC Radio 4 – History of the world in 100 Objects podcasts

Access to 500 Museums and Art Galleries – Free, Online

Open Culture – 6000 digital history books for children to read online

Documents

Topic Cycle A Document

Topic cycle B Document

Whole School Progression of Skills (History)

What British Values Looks Like In History